Paris is the ultimate European destination, and it has everything: food, wine… and our our absolute favorite luxury hotel in the world: The Bulgari Paris. If you aren’t staying there, enjoy a beautiful meal at the hotel’s Il Ristorante, or go all out French-Michelin at Le Cinq across the street. You can thank us later.
Traveling around? Check out our London Guide.
Don’t know what to pack? Here’s Jess’s Packing List.
Top Restaurants
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Food: 9.5/10 Beverage: 9/10
Located on the first floor of our favorite hotel (The Bulgari), Il Ristorante is a wonderful fine-dining Italian experience from chef Niko. In a calm and relaxing atmosphere, Niko makes incredible dishes and the sommelier is happy to help with unique recommendations. The Spaghetti e Pomodoro is not your every-day pasta, and you cannot cannot miss the lasagna (it is the best we have ever had and we are big lasagna people). Last time we visited we ordered the antipasto al’italiana- which arrived in multiple courses- and we certainly recommend this for the adventurous. The veal milanese is outstanding. We have been for both lunch and dinner and both were great (long and leisurely is the way to go). This is a must-visit when in Paris.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage Program: 8/10
When it comes to three-Michelin starred restaurants, Le Cinq certainly tops the list (or, at least, comes very very close). Gio’s dad- Dave- recently told us he had a dream about eating at Le Cinq again. This is high-end, top-tier French food done right, located in George V Four Seasons in the 8th. A strict dress code is enforced. Men must wear jackets, but they are welcome to remove them upon reaching their seats. Save room for the cheese selection.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food: 9/10 Wine: 8/10
Located in the basement-level of the Shangri-La in the 16th, Shang Palace consistently offers one of the best peking ducks in the world. And this is why you go: for the food. Also, Jess highly recommends the red rice roll appetizer if you are looking for something unique.
Top Bars
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9.5/10 Bar Program: 9.5/10
Located in Rosewood’s Hôtel de Crillion, this is our favorite bar in Paris (and in Paris, we do love a good hotel bar). It is very extravagant, with high ceilings, comfortable bar seats, and ornate decor a la King Louis XIV. They used to have a clarified cocktail on the menu that was Jess’s favorite cocktail in the world, but it has sense been replaced on the new seasonal menu. We usually go right when they open around 5PM. Do not hesitate to order the truffle comté grilled cheese, it is incredible.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Bar Program: 8/10
At the Four Seasons George V in the 8th, Le Bar is an intimate cocktail lounge with great service. The vibe feels like it belongs amongst men’s clubs in London. It is important to note that it does get very busy, so do have a backup in the area.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Bar Program: 8/10
Another stunning bar with high ceilings and ornate design located in The Peninsula Hotel, this is worth visiting for the service and stories of the artwork alone.
More Restaurants & Bars...
Overall: Maybe
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Beverage Program: 7/10
Located in Le Réserve in the 7th, Le Gaspard is comfortable and the bartenders have many vintage liquors they want to share… If you go, please help us out– there is a brown and tan colored globe on the bar top that we spent hours trying to figure out, if you can tell us what the colors signify, we’ll owe you a drink.
Overall: Highly Recommend
Service: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Food: 8.5/10 Beverage Program: 2/10
In a clean and comfortable setting tucked behind Avenue George V, DokiDoki rolls out some of the best handrolls we have had. The fish and seaweed are quality- and we love the focus on handrolls alone. The beverage menu is literally along the lines of ‘sake, beer, wine’, but they do offer one of each. The bar is the only seating- with immoveable round stools with no backs. We recommend asking for light rice so you don’t get too full.
Overall: Recommend
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 9.5/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine: 7/10
It’s not every day you eat inside the top of the Eiffel Tower. The experience is definitely once in a lifetime, and the bread starter was so delicious we might never forget it (it is actually worth filling up on). It should be noted that not all of the seats are comfortable, the ceilings are quite low, and there is really only a view from window tables. To access the restaurant, walk to the bottom of the Eiffel tower and follow signs for the elevator that says Jules Verne (do not buy a ticket). The waitlist is worth trying- that is how we got our reservation.
Overall: Worth A Visit (for the view)
Service: 3/10 Atmosphere: 9.5/10 Food: 6/10 Wine: 7/10
One of the best-kept secrets in Paris. This is probably because of the service, which is worse than the stereotypical Parisian spot… and the hostesses, who will use any excuse to turn someone away (the man in front of us with a full Gucci sweatsuit, for example, was turned away for dress code violations). Once, we were seated at a tiny table in between two large groups, and when we asked to sit somewhere else (9/10 times people in Paris will ask to move tables)… with much fuss, we were eventually brought through the entire restaurant… to the same table. Life is only slightly easier when you make a reservation here (which we recommend).
Why do we deal with the bad service? Because the view is one of the best in Paris, directly next to the Louvre under stunning columns. We are not even “view people,” but it is hard to beat a nice spring breeze and a bottle of wine here.
Overall: Probably Skip
Service: 8/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 6/10 Wine: 7/10
If private dining is essential for you, the chef’s table at Ducasse is very private and is located underground with a window to the kitchen. Other than that, it is a little difficult for service to always be available down there (without hovering), and the food was reminiscent of other Michelin spots. The coconut dessert was memorable.
Overall: Recommend… if you are in Paris for a while
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Food: 7.5/10 Wine Program: 8/10
This French bistro-wine bar-gastropub hybrid offers one hundred wines on Coravin, plus a brick-sized book for the bottles in the back. This is a very casual spot, and the comfortable bar seats can be reserved for dinner. Do not miss the pâté- its the best Jess can remember having.
Overall: Recommend
Service 5.5/10 Atmosphere 8.5/10 Food: 8.5/10 Wine: 7.5/10
A stunning restaurant for Chinese food and good peking duck inside of The Peninsula. While we prefer Shang Palace for Chinese, this is a good and more modern second option.
Overall: Possibly Visit
Service: 7/10 Atmosphere: 5/10 Food: 7/10 Wine: 9/10
With an incredible wine list, it is hard not to be tempted to go to Nakatani. While the food wasn’t incredibly memorable for us, it was a very high-end experience of Japanese-French fusion and deserving of its one Michelin star.
Overall: Skip It
Service: 3/10 Atmosphere: 6/10 Bar Program: 6/10
Yes, we are obsessed with the Bulgari. However, if there is an Achilles’ heel to this near-perfect property, it is the bar (and that we still consider it our favorite hotel in the world says a lot about everything else the Bulgari has to offer). Put it this way- the bar staff here is the type that loves doing very long team meetings exactly when the bar gets full and everyone is ready to order another drink. It should also be noted that the stunning onyx bar is very, very bright. Those with sensitive eyes, skip this one.
Hotels
You knew this would be first. The Bulgari Hotel in the 8th of Paris is our absolute favorite hotel in the world. It has everything from incredible service to a world-class restaurant (Il Ristorante) to a stunning pool, well-equipped gym facilities, spa, and luxurious design with every single detail well thought out (bedside phone chargers, for example). Everything about The Bulgari is high end, from the furniture to the enormous pillow menu. The doormen are lovely and helpful, and so are the housekeeping and concierge staff. On our last visit, they packed us gourmet sandwiches for the train ride. It is generally not very busy, which is a good thing.
Le Meurice is within walking distance of the Louvre, which is always a good focal point. The rooms at Le Meurice were lovely, the breakfast was in a stunning gold-leafed room, and the view from our balcony looked directly over the park (another guest’s room in the same category had a courtyard view, so it is worth asking about). The gym is tiny but clean, with several state-of-the-art machines. The bar at the hotel was open late most nights, often with live music and always with friendly bartenders. The concierges at Le Meurice were incredibly helpful upon arrival. It does get quite busy.
The rooms of Hotel Berrière are spacious and it is a great place to stay when Paris is very busy, as it is located right across the street from the Four Seasons and down the road from The Bulgari. While it is not as luxurious as the other two, it is very comfortable and the concierge staff is very helpful.
We recommend many restaurants and bars at both The Four Seasons George V and Le Crillion, and the hotel rooms both come highly recommended by friends. They are certainly worth looking into.
Tourism & Travel Notes
Ubers are very easy to get in Paris.
This might come as a surprise, but our favorite way to see Paris during nice weather is- undoubtedly- on a rickshaw taxi (motorized bike for hire, whatever you would like to call it works for us). You can find these lined up outside any tourist site. There is truly nothing better than spending a lovely summer afternoon slowly winding around traffic, the wind blowing in your hair, under the shaded roof of one of these lovely rides. Hold your purse tight, find a driver who will let you connect your own music via Bluetooth, and voila!
We would not recommend short connections at Paris airport, which takes forever to get through. There is also not a lot to do in most terminals (if you walk though one and see an oyster bar in front of you- that is the only place to get a drink in that terminal, so snag a seat).
If you are traveling within the EU, there is no need to arrive at the train station early. There is nothing to do, and you may find yourself wandering to cafes outside of the terminal and across the street until your platform is announced (about 20 min before departure). If you are training to the UK, do arrive early as you will need to go through double customs.
Notable Places Visited & Not Reviewed
Drouant: It was our server’s first day, the food was cold. Miss Ko: Just average. Bar de L’Escadrille: The owner showed up with a large group and started playing very loud, very unique Russian karaoke. Le George: Our experience + the food wasn’t very memorable, but we might give it a second chance.
favorite moments
